Pine County deputy charged in prescription drug thefts

A Pine County sheriff's deputy was accused Wednesday of stealing drugs while he was on duty, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Justin Stoddard, 27, faces seven counts of criminal conduct including theft of a controlled substance, drug possession and misconduct of a public officer. Stoddard had already been put on administrative leave when a warrant was issued for his arrest Wednesday.

A resident told the Pine County Sheriff's Office that Stoddard had stolen Oxycodone from her Hinckley, Minn., home after responding to a dispute at her residence in September. According to the complaint, Stoddard told her he needed to take photos of where she stored her medications.

After that original visit, Stoddard went back to the woman's home several other times uninvited and said he needed to take additional photos, but on one occasion the woman said she spied him taking pills from the bottle.

Several Pine City residents said that Stoddard told them that a potential thief was in their neighborhood and that he wanted to take a photo of their medication in case something was to happen to them. After he took photos of their medicine on separate occasions, the residents noticed they were missing Oxycodone and Percocet pills.

The complaint said Stoddard told an investigator earlier this month that he had a problem with medication and had stolen the drugs.